The Château of Saumur – France
The Chateau of Saumur is located in the French town of Saumur in the Maine-et-Loire Region, which is also known as Anjou. The chateau overlooks the confluence of the Loire River which is the longest river in France.
The chateau was originally constructed in the tenth century by Thibault le Tricheur as a stronghold against Norman predations. In 1026 it was put into the hands of Fulk Nerra, count of Anjou, who later passed it down to his heirs. After its destruction in 1067 the chateau was rebuilt by Henry II of England.
In the 1200s Philip II of France made Saumur part of his royal domain and it than proceeded to change hands until 1589 when King Henri IV gave the castle to Duplessis-Mornay. This explains why one of the town’s colleges is called Duplessis- Mornay.
In 1621 the castle was converted into army barracks and then nearly two centuries later it was converted into a state prison under the hands of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The chateau is no longer occupied by one particular person as it belongs to “L’etat Fracais”. That is why it holds the municipal museum of the town. It is therefore now only used as a tourist attraction. The castle has a dungeon and watchover and is the owner of the Musée de la Figurine-Jout, a collection of old toys and figures of soldiers, kings of France and clowns.
At the start of the 20th century the city of Saumur acquired the castle and began to restore it to house the museum of decorative arts and in tradition of the area’s equestrian tradition and its famous “Cadre Noir”, the castle also serves as a museum of the horse.
It has now been listed as a historical monument by the French Ministry of Culture (since 1862) along with another 46 buildings in Saumur. A majority of the buildings are built in a soft local stone called Tuffeau.
Almost ten years after a major collapse to the north west of the chateau in 2001, the majority of the restoration work has now been completed and you can now go into the castle and see its extraordinary architecture and its museums. The collapse damaged not only the chateau but also some of the many houses that can be found at the foot of the chateau.
Not only can you visit the chateau but you can eat in a wonderful restaurant in the grounds and admire the wonderful views.
It is highly recommended to see the chateau at night when it is lit up as is a trip down the Loire in a river boat which also enables you to see the rest of the wonderful buildings along the river edge.
Once you have visited the castle why not sample one of the local wines which the Loire Valley is famously known for or visit one the local vineyards for a tour on how the wine is made? You may also taste some of the wine grown from the vines surrounding the grounds of the back of the chateau.
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Filed under: General on July 18th, 2009
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